Ford recalls 230,000 minivans for corrosion issue

DETROIT, March 7 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co is recalling about 230,000 older minivans globally to fix a corrosion problem that could prevent the fold-down third-row seats from locking in place.

The recall affects 196,500 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans from model years 2004 through 2007 in the United States and another 33,500 in other countries, mostly Canada, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said on Thursday.

In the United States, the recall affects only vehicles sold or registered in 20 salt-belt states and the District of Columbia, she said.

Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue, Felker said.

To address the problem, Ford dealers will install a new third-row seat mounting bracket and move the latches away from the potentially corroded area, while also installing overlay panels in the wheel wells, she said.

The affected states are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.